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Strong Late, But Eagles’ Fate Decided Early

ARLINGTON, Texas — During the weeks when the defense leaked oil and turnovers piled up like bricks on the NovaCare walls, Juan Castillo preached that it was the teams that play the best in December and January that win the Super Bowl.

The quiet retort was, “Yeah, but you have to win enough games along the way to get into the dance.”

And so it came to pass, as Castillo predicted, that the Eagles rounded into form late and improved their December record to 3-1 with a win over Dallas. And, as warned, it came too late to mean anything other than to add a little blush to what will ultimately be labeled an ugly, disheartening season.

It was not the start to Christmas that the Eagles or their fans had hoped for. They needed the Jets to help them out, to assist the Giants in their final step off the ledge. Instead it was Mark Sanchez and the J-E-T-S that took a head-first plunge.

There was still hope before kickoff, but the Eagles’ fate was sealed sometime in the first quarter as the 29-14 game went final.